It's been a fun ride as a Q&A host but all good things must come to an end. However, I did have a lot of fun, and learned a lot on the way, about how EditPad should be everyone's best friend, why it's not good to stay up until 3 AM after eating chocolate cake, and that you shouldn't insult the Lunar games in front of Cortney. As for my worthiness to fill Goog's slimy shoes, it's up to the readers to decide. All I know is that even if it was for a short time, it's been a real honor to be considered a Q&A host(ess) of one of the foremost RPG sites on the Internet, a site that I have been going to religiously ever since I was a high school kid with a Super Nintendo and a free weekend trying to figure out how to defeat Masa and Mune in Chrono Trigger.

Okay, one last crop of letters before we go.

L E T T E R S

Take my Revolution (and shove it?)

With the expected raise in devopment costs, making realistic character designs will possibly be more costly than anime-style. How much of a factor do you think cost will play in making the decision of art style in the next gen?

Also, do you think the Virtual console of the Revolution will make it worth buying? How do you think it will work?

Good luck in the contest!

J_Sensei

BUCKET

The only companies that are going to risk using realistic characters are the ones who KNOW it has worked for them in the past, and the ones who have a massive brand loyalty to consumers (e.g., Squeenix.) I'm sure there's going to be a lot more realistic CGI in the future, which will probably mean that companies are going to (a) hedge their bets that people are REALLY going to enjoy this game enough to recoup the MASSIVE cost it took to produce it, and (b) jack up the price a couple bucks once it comes out so they'll be able to.

Nintendo's probably hedging their bets on the fact that every single household that owns a Revolution will at least have DSL or cable internet so they can go onto Nintendo's Web page and download stuff to their heart's content. Of course, then there's the purported fact that every single game from the NES to the N64 is going to be available, but what if there are copyright disputes or companies that Nintendo had falling outs with in the past? A lot of these games have been re-relased a number of times, but not a vast majority, so people won't be discouraged from downloading stuff they've alredy got. And unless Nintendo and the companies involved have other plans, it might be the only chance for people to (re) discover games like Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Mana, Earthbound and Super Mario RPG.

One Bucket's trash is another Bucket's treasure.

Bucket!
Since you like video games and anime, I thought I'd send you a letter that involved both of your interests. What do you think of video games based on anime? Are there any that you like? Which ones hold true to the anime while being great games, and which ones are clearly just franchise-boosting junk?

Cortney Stone (a.k.a. Alethea)

BUCKET

Personally, I think that anime-based video games are just another way to milk profits from a title that's currently trendy, and it will all be forgotten once the show finishes airing and then you'll see it in the bargain bin. Some of the games I'd really like to play are the Fullmetal Alchemist ones, since I'm only just getting into the meat of the story (and the fact that they're from Squeenix, so they gotta be good, right? Right?)

The only video game based on an anime that was really true to the franchise was Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Another Story. It was also the only GOOD Sailor Moon video game.

Whoever came up with the slogan "touching is good" is either a marketing genius or the biggest pervert to walk the earth..

Hey, Bucket, a couple of questions for you.

First, you mentioned in passing in the chat room that you were interested in a DS now. If I might ask, what prompted the sudden interest in the system? Also, I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on XSEED Games and what the creation of a company like this might mean for the North American RPG market.

Thanks!

BUCKET

The one thing that really draws me about the DS (heheh, pun not intended folks) is wireless chat capability. I saw a lot of people using PictoChat at Anime Boston 2005. I'm also interested in a few of the more ecclectic games coming out for the DS (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, for example) but a lot of the games I'm interested in haven't come out in America yet (like Harvest Moon: Corobokkle Station.) That, and being able to play GBASP games is a major plus.

As for XSEED Games, looking at their website tells me that they're barely a year old, yet they seem to be a team of talented professionals that are seasoned enough to handle two games from very well known franchises. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what sprouts.

Getting excited.

Hello,

Out of all of the new RPGs that have either just been released or are being released, which one(s) are you looking forward to the most and why?

-meow

BUCKET

There's two actually: First is RPG Maker XP. I worked for a while with RPGMaker 2000 so I know some of what to expect, but then again there's all the advanced support that RMXP has to offer. That, and I'd finally be using a legitimate program. Second would have to be Final Fantasy III, if it EVER comes out (and I hope it does) because I loves me some oldschool and the job system. Also, I'd like to see what sort of improvements and tweaks Squeenix will make.

C L O S I N G

IN CONCLUSION:

All good things must come to an end.

I hope you liked my last gasp. I must admit, doing this was sort of a dream fulfilled for me. Anyways, one last thing before we go:

Thank you, everyone, for making two months of unemployment more bearable. Here's hoping that I might re-appear on here someday, and with a steady job, a better outlook on life...and one hell of a gaming system setup.

Gokigenyou.

Rebecca Rudeen bows politely and then goes to sit at the table with her mug of tea.